Hundreds
of old relics and antiques carrying one's imagination back not
only to the days of the Republic of Texas, but to the stirring
times during and preceding the Revolutionary War, are preserved
in the oldest house in Dallas County, yet used as a residence.
This house is the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Overton, five miles
southeast of Oak Cliff. The house was built in 1844 by Mr. Overton's
father, William Perry Overton, who settled there in that year
and took up a headright from the Republic of Texas. He is said
to have been the seventh actual settler of Dallas County.

The above home of Mr. and
Mrs. Joseph Overton, five miles southeast of
Dallas, is the oldest house in Dallas County still in use as a
residence. It
was built while Texas was a Republic in 1844 by Mr. Overton's
father, William
Perry (Uncle Perry) Overton, who was the seventh actual settler
of Dallas
County. The brick in the chimney is said to have been the first
brick
burned in Dallas County. The walls were originally made of logs,
which
were covered over with weatherboarding hauled from Palestine,
Anderson
County. The addition at the back was built in 1853-54 with lumber
hauled
from Palestine. A window at the back in the kitchen contains twenty-four
panes of glass which the Overtons say was the first window glass
brought
to Dallas County. The house was opened to the Confederates during
the
Civil War and was used as a hospital for wounded and sick soldiers.
Frank
James once lay sick for seven weeks in one of the upper rooms.
Uncle
Perry lived in the house for fifty-nine years and died in it at
the age of 81.
His wife, Aunt Jessie Overton, died there on Jan. 7, 1928, at
the age of
78. The house contains hundreds of heirlooms and relics collected
by
the Overton ancestors from three continents.

This
has been the Overton homestead ever since it was built. William
Perry Overton, widely known as Uncle Perry, lived in the house
until his death in 1903. His wife, known to hundreds of Dallas
County people as Aunt Jessie, died in the same house on Jan.
7, 1928, leaving her son to continue the ancestral line of occupancy
of the historic building. Aunt Jessie was buried in the family
cemetery a half mile from the house. A touching incident of the
burial was the singing of old spiritual songs over the grave
by a group of negroes after the white folks had gone away. Two
or three of the negroes had been slaves belonging to Uncle Perry
before the Civil War. Aunt Jessie was 78 years old last Aug.
16.
Mr. and Mrs. Overton have talked
of having the family antiques and relics properly prepared and
cased to be presented to a museum, or to the University of Texas,
but they mean so much to them and their family, that they can
scarcely bear to think of seeing them taken out of the old home.
They have never been appraised by any authority on antiques,
but people interested in the subject have estimated that they
would be worth several thousand dollars. At least five nations
and many generations are represented in the collection. Among
the most interesting objects in the collection are a saber and
a bottle of India ink yet in liquid form, brought from India
more than 150 years ago by an English ancestor who served in
the British army in India; a jewel box brought from Spain to
England by another ancestor of Spanish nationality, a sword used
by another forefather who fought for American independence, and
several fine handmade walnut tables, cabinets, desks and other
pieces of furniture made by Uncle Perry that would be a credit
to the best cabinetmakers of today.

J. B. McEntire at the left
and Joseph Overton
at the right are exhibiting two famous war
tools from the Overton collection of relics.
The sword Mr. McEntire has was brought
India by one of Mr. Overton's ancestors
who was in the British Army. He carried it
later in the famous naval battle of Trafalgar,
in which the British fleet destroyed the com-
bined Spanish and French fleets at the cost
of the life of Lord Nelson. The sword in Mr.
Overton's hand was used by his maternal
grandfather, Jonathan Cameron, aide to
Gen. Washington, in the Revolutionary
War. He once used it after being captured
to cut his way through the British and Tory
lines and carried it back with him to Wash-
ington's headquarters. The rifle was brought
to Texas from Missouri in 1844 by Mr. Over-
ton's father, William Perry Overton, who
carried it to California with him in the gold
rush of 1849.

Among the
dozen or more old guns in the house is the old long rifle brought
to the Republic of Texas in 1844 by Uncle Perry and carried by
him to California and back during the gold rush of 1849. Another
interesting weapon is a shotgun that Aaron Overton, Uncle Perry's
father, received as a present on his twelfth birthday. The story
is related that a few shot from the gun struck one of Aaron's
uncles the first time he fired his new gun. The boy received
a big silver watch on the same day. This watch has been handed
down from generation to generation and was used as a timepiece
until a few years ago. It is now 104 years old and began to tick
when it was picked up from its resting place in a cabinet. The
driving force is transmitted by a chain around a drum inclosing
the mainspring.

Pulled 1,000 Teeth.

"Here
is a relic that has probably cause more pain and less enmity
than anything else in the collection," Joe Overton commented
as he lifted a rusty metal instrument of some kind from a cabinet
drawer. "This is a pair of tooth-pullers my father made
soon after settling here. I once heard him say that he had pulled
1,000 teeth with them. He was an expert blacksmith and spent
two days making his tooth extractors. He also made most of his
blacksmithing tools. Neighbors with the toothache in the early
days came from many miles around to get him to pull their ailing
teeth.
"Surgery seemed to be a trait
in the Overton family. Here is a surgeon's operating knife with
two cutting blades and a pair of small scissors which all fold
up like a pocket knife. This was used by one of the early Overtons
who was an English surgeon."

Anson Jones' Signature.

A historical
document of considerable interest in the collection is the original
paper signed by Anson Jones, last President of the Republic of
Texas, granting the original 1,280 acres in the Overton homestead.
The grant of land has been preserved almost intact with 1,000
acres yet remaining in the homestead. Some of the best farming
land in the county is contained in the place.
Another heirloom with which the
family would not part very easily is a stick pin made from a
piece of natural gold in the form of an elephant found by Uncle
Perry in the California gold fields in 1850.

A 100-Year-Old Money
Sack.

A money
sack made by Mrs. Rachel Cameron Overton, Uncle Perry's mother,
about 100 years ago, from cloth she wove, was pointed out by
Mr. Overton. The sack has probably contained an aggregate of
$100,000 taken in by Uncle Perry while he was operating a mill,
Mr. Overton said. Uncle Perry also used one of his wedding socks
for a money sack until a hole was worn in the toe. It is also
preserved among the keepsakes.

How They Shaved
in '44.

"Do
you know how they used to shave 100 years ago?" Mr. Overton
inquired. "Here is my father's shaving set. This mirror,
with the buckskin back and wood case and folding front to prevent
its getting broken, is probably the oldest mirror in Dallas County.
I don't know how old it was before my father brought it here
with him in 1844 to use in shaving. This little pair of short-bladed
scissors was his razor. He was a middle-aged man before a razor
even touched his face. When his beard became long enough, he
would take this mirror in one hand and the scissors in the other
and proceed to clip his beard back as short as he could. This
set has been taken on hundreds of hunting and fishing trips.

Mrs. Overton is shown here with
two of the
old guns of the Overton ancestors. The
double-barreled muzzle-loading shotgun
at the left was given to Aaron Overton on
his twelfth birthday anniversary more than
100 years ago. The long gun at the right
was the famous old fowling piece used
by Lord Dillon when he killed his game
keeper.

Lord Dillon's
Weapons.

"Here
is one of the best private collections of old guns you ever saw.
Each one of these--about fifteen--guns has history connected
with it. This old muzzle-loading fowling piece was used by Lord
Dillon, with which to kill his game keeper. It came into possession
of my mother's family several generations ago. This powder horn
and shot holder also belonged to Lord Dillon, who used them with
this gun.

Was Washington's
Aide.

"This
sword belonged to Jonathan Cameron, who was Uncle Perry's mother's
father. He was an aide to Gen. Washington in the Revolutionary
War. Once on a scouting expedition, Jonathan was surrounded by
Tories. He was riding horseback and wearing his sword at this
side. Throwing his old coonskin cap into the air and rising in
his stirrups, Jonathan shouted at the top of his deep bass voice,
'Hurrah for King George.' The Tories were somewhat taken aback
by this demonstration of loyalty to the King, and in the confusion
that followed, Jonathan dug his spurs into the sides of his horse,
unsheathed his sword, and with some additional uncomplimentary
remarks about King George, slashed his way through the Tory lines
with this very sword and outran his pursuers in the forest. By
his escape, he was able to carry back valuable information to
Gen. Washington.

A Saber From Trafalgar.

"This
saber, brought from India by one of my ancestors who served there
in the British cavalry, was later carried by him in the battle
of Trafalgar. That was the famous naval battle in which Lord
Nelson, on Oct. 21, 1805, lost his life after defeating the combined
fleets of the French and Spanish under the command of Villeneauve
and Gravina. the battle was fought off the coast of Cape Trafalgar
at the northwest entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar.

Historic Chinaware.

"This
set of chinaware was exhibited in a British museum more than
100 years ago by my mother's grandmother. Her father, Henry C.
Davis, inherited the set and brought it to Texas from England.
My mother was born in England and came to Texas with her father.
The set of china became hers when her father was killed many
years ago at the age of 73 years. He was run over near here by
a train.

A Bullet Through
the Window.

"A
story connected with the Ku Klux Klan activities following the
close of the Civil War is recalled by a bullet hole in a pane
of glass in the dining-room window. The bullet did not shatter
the pane, but merely made a hole about an inch in diameter from
which several cracks radiate. The hole was plastered up with
putty at that time, and it still remains just as the repair was
made sixty-two years ago

This is the oldest fireplace in
Dallas County. The rocks
were chopped into shape with an ax in 1844. Roaring
log fires radiate cheering heat on cold days this winter
in the living-room of the Overton home. About this old
fireplace, Uncle Perry Overton and Judge J. M. Hurt,
widely known Texas jurist, have spent many a pleasant
hour talking politics, business and old times. Judge Hurt
was, for many years, a member of the Court of Criminal
Appeals. He was the grandfather of Judge Earl E. Hurt
and Assistant District Attorney Robert L. Hurt, of Dallas.

"Darned
Poor Shooting."

"Uncle
Perry, after the war, had a number of liberated slaves working
for him. One of these big negro men had particularly incited
the hatred of the Ku Klux Klan and the klan members had vowed
that they would kill him. It was Uncle Perry's custom to feed
the negroes in the dining-room after the family had finished
eating. One evening about dusk, the negroes were eating in the
dining-room and Uncle Perry was standing before the fireplace
at the north end of the dining-room, filling his pipe with tobacco.
A rifle shot was heard from the edge of the woods about 100 feet
east of the house. A few pieces of shattered glass tinkled to
the floor under the window. Uncle Perry, feeling a stinging sensation
at the back of his head, reached back with one hand and got a
handful of bloody hair that had been cut off by the bullet which
cut a crease across the back of his head. He threw the bloody
hair into the fire and remarked: 'Darned poor shooting.' Then,
without another word, he continued filling his pipe, got a live
coal from the fireplace on the corner of the shovel, placed it
on top of the tobacco in the bowl of his pipe, took a couple
of puffs, sat down in his homemade armchair, crossed his legs
and began meditatively puffing slowly at his pipe as he gazed
into the fire.

The Negroes
Hunted Cover.

"The
negroes, some fifteen or twenty of them, sat speechless and too
terrified to move during the few seconds while Uncle Perry was
continuing his preparations for his smoke. But the moment Uncle
Perry sat down and began smoking, they recovered from their stupefied
terror. Chairs were turned over backward as they jumped up from
the table. Some of them scrambled under the table, some dashed
into a closet at the end of the room and others ran into the
kitchen, but Uncle Perry calmly puffed his pipe through it all.
"This incident is a typical
illustration of the Indian traits which Uncle Perry had inherited
from his mother, who was half Cherokee. He had jet black and
straight hair and a very brown skin.

Took Frank James'
Gun.

"Uncle
Perry is said to be the only man Frank James ever surrendered
his gun to. He was a neighbor to the James family in Missouri
and in his youth, played with Frank and Jesse James. One day,
Uncle Perry beat Frank shooting at a shooting match. Frank handed
over his gun and said: 'Here, take my gun. You are the only man
I ever surrendered my gun to.'

Frank Sold Calico.

"Years
later, in the late '80s or early '90s, after Frank James had
been pardoned by the Governor Missouri, he came to Dallas to
visit his boyhood friend. He had been here but a few days, when
he was stricken with typhoid fever. For seven weeks, he was sick
in this house. He was cared for in a room upstairs. That room
is now just like it was when Frank James occupied it. The same
bed and other furniture are yet here. After he got well and strong
again, he went to Dallas to get a job. A few days later, Uncle
Perry and Aunt Jessie went to Dallas to do some trading. They
found Frank clerking in one of the store. Aunt Jessie wanted
to buy some calico and Frank waited on her. Frank seemed to be
embarrassed at selling ladies' dress goods. Uncle Perry, sensing
the humor of the situation, remarked: 'Frank, I never thought
you would ever come to this, selling calico for a living.'
"Frank said: 'Well, a man
must have a job. I won't be doing this very long, you can bet
your boots.'

Built Cabin Near
Kidd Springs.

"My
father settled in Dallas in 1844 after a two months' trip from
Missouri in an ox team wagon," Joe Overton related. "He
was accompanied by his father, Aaron Overton, and his brother,
C. C. Overton. Aaron Overton took up his headright were Oak Cliff
now stands and built his cabin near Kidd Springs. Father took
up his headright to the southeast farther down the river and
a little later, began building the house in which I now live.

Built First Mill.

"Grandfather
and his two sons were the only members of the family coming to
Texas at first. Grandfather made a trip back to Missouri each
fall to visit his wife and family. In 1847, he brought them to
Texas with him to share his home with him in the new country.
One of the first things he did after settling in 1844, was to
put up a mill operated by horse power. This was the first mill
built in Dallas County. I have heard my father tell of settlers
coming to his father's mill from as far as 100 miles away to
get their corn and wheat ground into flour and meal. The mill
would grind 100 bushels a day by keeping it going from daylight
to dark. He operated this horse mill until 1841, when he built
a water mill.

The Lost Grave.

"Grandfather
died in 1860 at the age of 76 years. He was buried on the hillside
near Kidd Springs and a stone marker was put over the grave.
Several years ago, some of his nephews from Missouri came to
Dallas, and we were going to remove his remains from Kidd Springs
to the old family burial grounds, a few hundred yards west of
my home. When we went to Kidd Springs to locate the grave, we
found that houses had been built over the place. All the trace
we could find was the old stone grave marker which one family
was using as a door step. Grandmother reached the age of 87 years
and died in 1874. They had twelve children, eleven of whom married
and reared families. My father, William Perry Overton, was the
ninth child.
"Father was married on July
22, 1847, to Miss Martha Ann Newton. The Rev. W. H. Hord officiated,
with Ned Wilburn and Milt Robinson as witnesses. She was born
in Saline County, Missouri, and came to Dallas County in 1845
with her father. Seven children were born to them and she died
in 1884. A year later, Mr. Overton was married to my mother,
Mrs. Jessie Overton. She was the daughter of Henry C. Davis,
a native of Hampshire, England, who settled in Dallas County
and was killed on the railroad near the old home place at the
age of 73 years.

To California by
Ox Wagon.

"Father
caught the gold fever when the great rush to the gold fields
of California started in 1849. He made arrangements for the care
of his wife and family and joined a California-bound caravan.
He started with an ox team and wagon, but at El Paso, traded
the oxen for a team of mules and continued his way to the Pacific
Coast. He started on San Jacinto Day, April 21, and arrived at
San Diego five months later. They experienced great hardships
on the way and many died, or were killed by Indians. After spending
eighteen months mining for gold, he decided that he had collected
a sufficient quantity of gold dust and nuggets and began the
return journey. One trip across the deserts of New Mexico and
Arizona was enough for him, so he determined to come back by
boat.

Came Home by Boat.

"Taking
a coastwise sailing boat, he went to the Isthmus of Panama. He
walked across the Isthmus at about the point where the Panama
Canal was later built. He then took another boat to New Orleans,
then traveled by river steamboat to Shreveport. There, he exchanged
some of his gold dust for a horse and rode from there to Dallas.
"He arrived home after an
absence of two years. He was attired in the typical costume of
the gold fields of California and had not shaved for several
weeks. His own mother did not know him when he rode up. She thought
he was acting a little fresh and was about to get a gun after
him when he told her that he was her son. She examined him a
little closer and recognized him. His wife did not know him,
either. When they informed his small son that the newly-arrived
stranger was his father, he walked up, and, reaching his little
arms about his father's knees, inquired rather doubtfully, "Are
you my pappy?' There was one, however, whom he could not fool.
His dog was in the yard when his long-absent master arrived and
ran joyfully to greet him, jumping upon him playfully.

Died at Age of 81.

"After
returning from California, father went into the milling business,
operating for many years, the old Honey Springs mill on the headright
of Honey Springs Creek. He ground wheat and corn for the Confederate
soldiers during the Civil War. He retired from the mill in 1866
to give his full time to his farming interests. He died on Jan.
26, 1903, eight days before his eighty-first birthday anniversary.
He lived until his death in the house he built when he first
came to Texas, although it had been enlarged and repaired and
a new roof put on a few times."

Addressed the Pioneers.

An insight
into social life and customs of the first settlers in Dallas
County is given in an address prepared and delivered by Uncle
Perry Overton on July 14, 1893, at the eighteenth annual reunion
of the Dallas County Pioneers' Association at Garland. He was
71 years old, but was able to get about actively and spoke clearly.
John Henry Brown, president, was in charge of the program. The
association was organized on July 13, 1875, with John C. McCoy
as president. Vice presidents were William H. Hord, Mrs. Elizabeth
B. Durgin, Isaac B. Webb and Mrs. Nancy J. Cochran. Edward C.
Browder was secretary and John W. Smith, treasurer. Mr. McCoy
continued as president until his death in 1887, after which,
John Henry Brown was elected president at each reunion for several
years.
Uncle Perry lived for ten years
after this address, which follows:
"When I first came to Dallas,
there was a little pole hut on the bank of the Trinity, occupied
by John Neely Bryan, and a rough courthouse made of post oak
logs, and that's all there was of Dallas. John Neely Bryan was
living under bond to marry his wife. It was too far to go to
get a marriage license then. I think license for the first marriage
in Dallas County was issued from Nacogdoches, in 1845. There
were very few preachers in the county in those days. Among the
number was Amy McComas of Missouri, long since dead.

A Day at the Gristmill.

"My
father put up the first gristmill ever built in the county. It
was horse-mill and the first bushel of wheat ground was for old
Uncle John Cole, Jack Cole's father. Before the mill was put
up, the people ground their corn and wheat in mortars or hand
mills. Coffee mills were frequently used to grind the meal. When
we put up our mill, people brought grist to it from 100 miles
away, and I have seen as many as twenty-seven wagons there at
the same time waiting for their turn. We ground out about 100
bushels a day, which was considered a good day's work. I have
lived in Dallas County ever since I came here, except two years
that I was in California along in 1849-50.

He Liked Texas.

"Texas
is the best country, in my opinion, under the sun. California
is a good county, but is has only two seasons, wet and dry. I
don't think that God ever made a better country than Texas. Take
a belt through Grayson, Collin, Dallas, Ellis and Navarro Counties,
and you have, in my opinion, the best country in Texas. In its
early settlement, it was dry, but we always made enough to do
us and sometimes something to spare. We have as fine crops this
year as I have ever seen in the county. We had better times before
the railroads came, we could sell everything we raised, money
was more plentiful and everybody had it then. A 10-year-old boy
had more money than the average farmer has today. It has gone
into the hands of the few and we can't get it as we used to.
The winter that I returned from California, I bought pork, but
I never have bought any since, though I have sold thousands of
pounds.
"When I first came to this
country, it was no more like it is now than chalk is like cheese.
Men were not trying to swindle each other. I could go into Dallas
and lie down with $100,000, and it would be there next morning.
There was no stealing those days, and, if you wanted to borrow
$500, or such an amount, you didn't have to give a mortgage to
get it. I knew men to borrow $500 and never give a note.
"I was a member of the first
jury impaneled in Dallas County. A woman was asking for a divorce
from her husband. We gave it to her, and before sundown that
day, the foreman of the jury married her. The first legal hanging
was in 1853 or 1854. A negress was executed for knocking a man
in the head with an ax at Cedar Springs. He had her hired and
she murdered him while he was asleep. I can't recall their names.

When Dallas Burned.

"The
town of Dallas burned July 8, 1860. A lot of men had been smoking
that Sunday around Sam Prior's drug store, and I think the fire
started from that. Crill Miller's house, the burning of which,
was mentioned in last Sunday's News, was not burned, but his
wheat stacks and cribs were burned. A chunk of fire had been
placed on a bed beneath the mattress, but when the mattress was
turned back, it smothered the fire out and the house did not
burn. Crill's negro boy, Bruce, told about another negro, Spence,
giving him a dollar to fire the house. I think the hanging of
the three negroes for burning the town was unjust, because I
don't believe they were guilty. At the courthouse, when the committee
was investigating the fire, there came near being a squally time
between Judge Nat M. Burford and Col. John C. McCoy.
"I am a broad and a dyed-in-the-wool
Democrat, and I am a Clark Democrat. I believe in giving every
man a show at office."